


Spotlight

by faithful_lie



Series: Fated [2]
Category: EXO (Band), K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Admiring from Afar, Crossover, Dancer AU, Help, M/M, Romance, a very teasing one, dance workshops, how to tag, jimin is a fluff ball, lots of Sehun being awkward, semin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 20:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7283719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithful_lie/pseuds/faithful_lie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun first saw Jimin at a dance workshop and now he can't get the red haired dancer off his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

> part of my crossover series ;)  
> read on aff here;  
> http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1108445/2/
> 
> fyi a squish is just a crush on someone's personality, usually platonic ;3
> 
> enjoy ~

Sehun first sees him when he attends a hip hop choreography workshop that he impulsively booked onto as soon as he saw the advertisement. He booked without a second thought; any chance to do more dance was a good chance, and he still agrees with that sentiment now.

This particular workshop is farther away than the ones he would usually attend but that doesn't matter. He's got a hotel to stay in afterwards and the day to explore tomorrow. He manages not to get lost, but that's no surprise as he's always been good with directions. He strides into the building confidently – a school of dance – and gets further directions to the correct studio from the receptionist before continuing on his way. He takes a moment to collect himself, taking a deep breath, hiking his hold-all up on his shoulder and applying his best poker face before he pushes open the door to studio two.

It's spacious, wooden floored and high ceilinged with frosted windows high up on the walls allowing muted daylight to seep in, contrasting with the harsh lighting. The wall to his left is clad in a series of huge mirrors with ballet bars at two heights. To his right the room extends to double the size of a regular studio although the floor space is roughly the same; halfway along the room, the floor rises in tiers, deep, low rise steps on which the other attendees that have arrived earlier than him are already making themselves at home, spreading out their bags in groups and getting comfortable. It's almost like the tiered seating you'd get in a theatre. He's never seen anything like it in a dance studio but he loves it.

He's surprised to see some familiar faces scattered throughout the dancers but he happily returns their smiles and waves as he starts to walk across the room after pausing to remove his outdoor shoes.

“Sehun!” An awfully familiar voice cries out and he looks up to see Yixing stumbling down the steps. He quickens his pace, motioning for Yixing to remain where he is lest he fall (Sehun honestly wouldn't be surprised if the older dancer managed to fall all the way down in one go).

“Hey!” He greets the shorter guy, holding his arms out partially in greeting, partly to catch Yixing if he really does fall. “I didn't know you would be here.” He says quietly, allowing Yixing to lead him up to the very top of the steps where he's laid out all his stuff. Sehun drops his bag on the floor and flops down beside it happily; workshops are even better when he has friends around. He leans back against the cream wall. Yixing has chosen a perfect spot to survey the entire room from. A few steps down, he can see another pleasingly familiar face. Jongin. Laid out flat on his back with his head resting on his interlinked hands, he looks totally at peace. His eyes are closed and Sehun knows (from previous experience) that the white haired boy is meditating on his breathing as he often does before any kind of exercise. Sehun doesn't really get it; he has not once succeeded at meditating, but he knows Jongin treasures this golden time.

As he draws his eyes away, he finds his gaze drawn to a puff of pink hair, standing out amongst the various shades of brown and blonde belonging to the people surrounding that particular individual. Just by the set of his shoulders and the way he leans in close to listen to the others, Sehun knows it's his dance friend Luhan. They often run into each other at workshops and even competitions but they never quite manage to make the effort to meet outside that. Luhan is a very sociable creature. He doesn't have Sehun's inherent desire to avoid social situations and seems to thrive on them. He probably didn't know any of the people crowded around him until he arrived. That's just the way he is.

"Why the **** did you make me come here? ******* ********!!!" Sehun stares at the door where some kind of disruption seems to be taking place, eyes watering at the harsh language suddenly spilled into the calm space of the studio. He looks curiously past Luhan's group, kneeling up to get a better view so he can see what all the fuss is about. The source of the swearing seems to be a rather short (and sleepy looking) boy with blonde hair and a snapback on backwards being dragged into the room by... Sehun's friend Hoseok (what is happening!?) and another equally short boy with bright red hair and the brightest smile Sehun has ever seen. He practically glows. All thoughts of the foul mouthed boy flee his mind as he sees the redhead beaming as four more boys follow them into the room. Of the other four, only one looks like he actually wants to be there, a tall boy with hair that shines purple under the lights and a distinct swagger to his step. A boy with dirty blonde hair moves forward and clamps his hand over his shortest friend's mouth, looking up at the dancers spread across the steps apologetically.

"I'm so sorry about him." He says, bowing to the room before quickly ushering his group up onto the steps. They walk all the way up to the back and Sehun finds himself trying to become one with the wall at his back as he shrinks away from the boisterous group. But all the same, his eyes are drawn to one particular redhead who somehow seems to mismatch with the rest of the group. Even Hoseok, who Sehun knows well, seems different to him. The guy is crazy, Sehun knows, but around these people, it seems to multiply by a factor of 10! And boy are they loud. He's thankful when they move over to a corner and dump their stuff together, two of the taller boys finally succeeding in quieting the others down.

Sehun looks back around the room. Poor Jongin seems to have had his concentration broken by the recent entrance of such a large group and is sitting up, gazing around a little dazed. A soft smile graces his lips as his eyes meet Sehun's and he moves as if to approach him but it's at that point that the door opens and the instructors walk in. Or at least Sehun assumes they are the instructors. They have a certain presence to them that marks them out. There's a noticeable height difference between them but they both have the same graceful gait and soft smile. They stop in the middle of the floor and stand until all attention is on them. _Definitely instructors_ , Sehun thinks, smiling to himself.

"Good morning everyone!" The shorter one projects into the room, grinning up at his audience. "It's nice to see so many of you in our humble studio." He bows mockingly, and Sehun huffs a little but the taller man picks up where he left off.

"I'm Jung Yunho and this," he pulls the other man back upright, "is Lee Donghae. I hope you are all ready to dance." Sehun joins the other dancers in mumbling a non-distinct greeting and making a small bow in the direction of their teachers for today. The first thing Donghae does is have the clear their stuff to the sides of the steps or 'stairway to stardom' as he calls it, as they will apparently be using that space too. Sehun understands a little when he finds himself on the main floor with the other attendees and the instructors a few steps up, leading the warm in perfect sync.

They lead the workshop together exceptionally well too, Sehun thinks. Donghae's oddball personality working well alongside Yunho's more serious attitude. He couldn't imagine having one without the other.

A little way into the workshop proper and, unusually for him, Sehun is having a little trouble concentrating, his eyes drawn back to the same short dancer over and over; the redhead from earlier with the 100 watt smile. He has gorgeous finish to every line, sometimes too much, and Sehun guesses that he's a contemporary dancer. His body flows too freely for ballet and yet he has so much control. The boy seems to ooze enjoyment, even when he's frowning and asking Hoseok to repeat a move for him. Sehun feels like he can't look away. Just in case he misses another adorably bright smile or cute mannerism.

And then he bumps into someone and almost goes down.

"Sehun!" Luhan whines, playfully pushing him away. "That's not like you, what's up with you today?" Sehun shakes his head but he knows what it is.

The workshop moves on and Donghae and Yunho show them a duet whilst they all kneel on the steps and watch in awe (or at least that's what Sehun does). This is the main focus for the workshop today. They'll be paired off and work on the basic choreo up until lunch and then, afterwards, they'll work on making it their own, bringing in their own styles. They then demonstrate the routine again to show them an example of this along a theme. It doesn't seem like it'll be too hard, it mainly depends on who he ends up getting partnered with. Like every collaborative project.

There's a weird fluttery feeling in his stomach, similar to the one he always gets before going on stage. But this time there's no stage, there's no learned choreography to forget, there's just Sehun, and this room full of dancers he could potentially get paired off with.

“Jimin.” Donghae calls out, reading from a pre-prepared list, and that short but impressive dancer steps forward. So his name is Jimin? It suits him Sehun supposes. But he's too busy tensing up about the idea of potentially getting paired with said dancer – what if Jimin doesn't like him or they can't work together or what if it's the beginning of a wonderful new friendship!? The thoughts whirl around in his head whilst he does his utmost to maintain that same poker face he always wears, struggling a little in that task, that is until Donghae reads out someone else's name; Jimin is going to work with Hoseok.

Sehun doesn't know if he's feeling disappointment or relief. Perhaps a strange mixture of both, either way the queasy feeling in his stomach has dissipated. Sehun himself gets paired with Yixing. They work well together so he doesn't foresee any problems. This should be a good day.

…

Lunch comes around and Sehun may be sweaty but he's enjoying the buzz that dancing gives him even when he's just repeating the same section of choreography over and over to truly nail it. He really does work well with Yixing and the entire class has achieved the goal of learning the rough choreography by lunchtime. Everyone is spread out across the steps. Luhan is surrounded by an even larger group of girls (and a few slightly smitten guys) than he was earlier. Kai is wolfing down his food in isolation and giving off an aura that says ‘come near my food and I'll **** you up’, hence the fact the no one is sitting within four metres of him. But that's his natural state.

Jimin is of course with Hoseok and the other five guys he arrived with. Now he's not focusing on digesting choreography or putting his all into perfecting the dance, that absolutely endearing smile is back. His eyes curve up into crescents as he laughs cutely with his decidedly rowdy friends. They are by far the loudest group though by no means the largest (no, Luhan wins on that front). It's quite amazing to Sehun just how loud they can be.

“You should go talk to him. No one’s ever achieved anything by staring at their new crush from afar.” He jumps a little bit. When did Yixing get that close?

“I don't have a crush on him!” He shoots back indignantly when he's recovered a little bit and gotten his expression back under control.

“A squish then?” Yixing offers with a cheeky smile.

“No!” Sehun replies. “I don't know… I like his smile… Maybe…” Yixing chuckles and Sehun glowers at him.

“Then go talk to him.” Sehun glances across at the group again. Three of them are on their feet now, each doing their own thing resulting in some of the dorkiest and most embarrassing dancing Sehun has ever seen. The one with the foul mouth abruptly stands up with a huff and yanks one of them, a blonde, down to the floor. The poor boy looks stunned as Jimin helps him sit up. No. Sehun cannot go over there. They are, frankly, intimidating and no matter how much he wants to talk to this Jimin, he can’t approach him when he’s surrounded by friends like this.

Sehun’s eyes suddenly meet Hoseok’s and he looks away quickly but it’s already too late; his friend has clocked him. Hoseok climbs to his feet and begins to cross the room whilst Sehun fights the panic down.

“You make wonderful faces when you're panicking.” Hoseok observes as he drops down beside Sehun with an amicable smile. “Long time, no see old friend. Why didn't you come and say hello?”

“I-“ Sehun barely gets a words in before Hoseok continues, answering his own question.

“It's because the boys are so noisy, yes?” This time Sehun nods, knowing he won't get the chance to speak. “I thought so. That must also be why you aren't approaching Jimin even though you've been watching him all day. He's noticed you know.” Sehun blushes.

“He has?” He glances across at Jimin to see the red haired dancer staring straight at him. When their eyes meet Jimin winks. “He says you should got talk to him if you want… well I don't really know, Jungkook clamped a hand over his mouth before he could finish but I'm sure you can fill in the gaps.” With that, Hoseok pats him on the back and he’s off again. Sehun blinks a little. Interacting with Hoseok is not dissimilar from attempting to talk to a whirlwind; he doesn't listen, you rarely get a word in edge ways, and he always leaves you feeling a little frazzled. But he’s a good friend all the same and an even better dancer.

…

Lunch passes without further incident and they move into the second half of the workshop – making the routine their own, adding their own flavour. Some people even change the piece of music they're using. Yixing playfully hits Sehun a few times when he becomes too fixated on a certain redhead, but on the whole it all goes smoothly. Watching the videos of their duet back, he feels an unfamiliar pride. He really likes this piece and it really does reflect his own, stiffer style and Yixing’s flair. There's no such thing as perfect, but it's pretty close and for once, he isn't left dissatisfied, itching to tweak this bit or spend more time on that move. Perhaps this is what it means to make something your own. Or perhaps those feelings will hit tomorrow.

Sprawled on his hotel bed, he opens the video he took of Jimin and Hoseok. They were one of the pairs that changed their music, thereby transforming the choreography into something very different. The new music switches between two distinct styles and tempos and they effortlessly match their choreography. The end result is something entrancing and incredibly pleasing to the eyes. He's particularly drawn to Jimin. The short dancer’s finish is truly something, each move absolutely on point executed with such grace. He always looks poised to move even when standing still and the concentration on his face, in place of that blinding smile is just as beautiful, if not more so. Sehun knows he is lost to him. Utterly lost.

He rolls onto his back with a sigh and switches his phone to silent mode. Time to sleep.

...

The next morning he wakes up achy. Normal for the day after a workshop. He takes a hot shower, hoping to feel a little better but as usual it just succeeds in making him sleepy even if he just woke up. This morning he seriously regrets allowing Hoseok and Jimin's friends intimidate him into losing the opportunity to befriend such a skilled dancer. He could kick himself. Instead, he dresses quickly in a pre-planned outfit, makes sure he has all his belongings, and checks out of the hotel. It's incredibly helpful that the hotel agree to look after his cumbersome hold-all and he only has a backpack with his wallet, camera, some food and a map to haul around. He loves exploring.

But he spends the whole day wondering about Jimin. How old is the other dancer? Is he younger than Sehun? Older? The same age? The brightness and innocence of his adorable smile make Sehun tend towards younger, but honestly, that's no way to judge a person's age. He tries to distract himself by trying to take the weirdest photos he can as well as the most beautiful. He'll edit them and then post the best on Instagram and they have to meet his own high standards. His efforts are not helped by the fact that he sees Jimin everywhere he turns. He seems to have the red haired dancer on the brain.

...

Sehun doesn't expect to see Jimin ever again. He doesn't want to back down and ask Hoseok for help (the teasing would never end) and so he accepts his fate. It doesn't stop him wishing for things to change though.

...

A month and a half later, it happens. He has a little bit of déjà vu as he walks into the studio for the contemporary dance workshop. There's always that same feel before a workshop as all the dancers size up the fresh meat walking through the doorway. It's why his poker face is just so good. Right up until he sees an incredibly familiar dancer, albeit with orange hair this time around.

His mouth falls open and he gawks across the room as Jimin takes off his jumper and t-shirt in one go (nothing notable in a dance studio really) and Sehun's mouth goes dry. Jimin is ripped. He halts in the doorway, one hand delicately holding the door open as he stares across the room oblivious to everyone other than the dancer he's been thinking about pretty much 24/7 since that day when he was too nervous for his own good.

Jimin looks up and catches sight of Sehun, noting the way the taller dancer hesitating in the doorway is focused on him and him alone. Jimin preens under his gaze, throwing a wink at Sehun that makes his heart stutter, before turning back and pulling on a skimpy vest top that really doesn't cover a lot.

"Dude, pick your jaw of the floor and get his ******* number!" Someone yells from somewhere in the room and Sehun snaps out of his daze, acutely embarrassed as all eyes watch him enter. He deliberately moves to the corner opposite where Jimin's put his stuff, wishing that the others would look away. Such a good way to start a workshop. Stellar job Sehun. Just the kind of first impression that he didn't need. He hands tremble a little as he swiftly changes his own shirt, quickly realising that the room is way too hot for a t-shirt. Pretty much everyone else here seems to have made the same observation and has either already changed or is in the process of it.

The weird atmosphere breaks though when a small but bright woman breaks away from one of the groups of dancers and asserts herself as their instructor, Minzy.

He discovers that he was most likely correct about Jimin being a contemporary dancer; the redhead is clearly in his element. Whilst Sehun finds himself struggling a little to get himself to flow the way he wants, to properly express the feel of the music with his entire body. This style of dance is more suited to someone like Kai, Sehun thinks. But that is exactly why he turned up today - to improve and broaden his skill set.

...

Sehun leans back against the cool glass of the mirror, taking sips of his water. Breaks are always welcome, and for some reason this workshop is tiring him out more than most. Maybe it's because of the format. They don't focus on any one piece for very long, moving on when the majority of the class have caught on. Sehun's finding that, today, he isn't always in that majority.

"Hey," someone says above him and he looks up, sitting up a little straighter in case it's a senior. It's Jimin. He hesitates because he actually doesn't know who's the senior here or who's the elder. "It's Sehun right?" Jimin asks, completely disregarding formalities. Sehun nods, stunned into speechlessness at the man's closeness. "Can I sit here?" He doesn't make a gesture to anywhere in particular so Sehun just nods vaguely and is a little surprised when Jimin sits down where he stands. "You were at Donghae and Yunho hyung's workshop weren't you?" The redhead looks curious, even as he starts pulling food from the little bag Sehun hadn't even noticed he'd brought over with him. Sehun nods again. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Sehun responds a little too enthusiastically. Jimin's eyes widen, then curve up as he smiles big.

"You should have come talked to me. I was hoping you would." He tilts his head to the side as if in thought. "Perhaps in future, when cute boys check me out I should approach them first." Sehun coughs awkwardly. "I can tell contemporary isn't exactly your thing." Jimin continues. "Nor is flirting. What are you most comfortable with?"

"Uhm...?" Suddenly all his hobbies fly out of his mind. He hesitates, eventually reeling in some pesky thoughts. "I'm good at photography. And popping. For me I suppose hip hop is where it's at... But I think I'm having an off day. Usually I'm better than this. Uhm, you know what, I'm struggling to say what I mean right now... Can I just...?" Jimin smiles in response.

"It's okay Sehunnie hyung! I don't mind at all. I'm just happy to actually talk to you instead of staring at you across a room." Sehun notes the 'hyung' and supposes Hoseok must have told Jimin his age. He gives a painful smile to the younger dancer. "I think we could be good friends!" Sehun finally gives a genuine smile even though he knows he's hoping for something more.

"Of course."

...

The rest of the workshop passes without issue. Actually, finding himself in a better mood, he seems to make a drastic improvement. More able to keep up, more inspired. Something just connects, like he's flipped a switch in his brain. He catches the occasional smile from Jimin and they sit together in all the remaining breaks. He's so happy just to be in Jimin's presence. He has a way of making Sehun feel comfortable almost instantly and they discover that they have a lot in common. It turns into a very good day and Sehun doesn't want it to end. During the last break they promise to exchange numbers and stay in contact. Sehun hopes that Jimin truly means it in the way that Sehun does. Only time would tell.

...

After the workshop, Sehun found himself standing outside with Jimin's belongings piled at his feet whilst the smaller dancer sprinted back inside in search of a hoodie he'd left behind. He pulled out his phone and texted Yixing - you'll never guess who I saw today - but Jimin returns before he gets an answer. They exchange numbers as promised. Jimin saves himself as 'Sunshine' in Sehun's phone so Sehun saves himself as 'Hunnie-hyung' in Jimin's.

He hesitates when it's finally time to say goodbye. He watches as Jimin reorganises his bags, biting his lip and shuffling his feet. Having found someone he thought he'd never see again, he's mildly worried to see the redhead leave. All those worries flee when Jimin looks up, smile as bright as ever.

He beckons Sehun closer, making as if to whisper something in his ear. The taller dancer takes a step closer and leans down, startling when Jimin instead pecks him on the cheek and then runs away giggling, his bag bouncing on his back. Sehun straightens up slowly, his hold-all slipping from his grasp. He brushes the skin of his cheek with the fingertips of one hand, feeling his heart fluttering.

All he can think is 'I've got it bad'.


End file.
